Indian actor credits her mother with encouraging her to take on ‘one of the biggest challenges of her career’
Actor Karisma Kapoor has revealed that she was the only actress to accept a role in the blockbuster Indian film Dil To Pagal Hai after several others turned it down, describing the project as one of the defining challenges of her career.
Speaking during an interview alongside her cast members from the newly released TV series Brown, Kapoor reflected on how the film helped shape her journey in the industry.
“It was a fact that most actresses in our country had refused to do this film. I had not read the script, and my first instinct was also to say no. But then I got another call asking me to hear the script and narration,” Kapoor said.
She recalled being told that the film would star Madhuri Dixit and that she would be competing with one of Bollywood’s most celebrated dancers on screen.
“There will be Madhuri Dixit, it is a dance film, and not just that, but you will be competing with her in dance,” Kapoor recalled being told.
The actor admitted she was initially uncertain about taking on the role, but said her mother persuaded her to embrace the opportunity.
“I was in two minds, and it was my mother who said, ‘You have to do this film if you want to take on a challenge and show the talent you have. You are getting a chance to work with Yash Chopra, Madhuri, and Shah Rukh Khan. Go prove yourself,’” she said.
Kapoor explained that the role marked a departure from the characters she had previously portrayed.
“It was a different territory for me, and this role was the first time in Indian cinema that there was a character who was not the mainstream heroine but was crying over the hero. It was very unusual,” she said.
The actor also recalled filming one of the movie’s most emotionally demanding scenes in Germany alongside Shah Rukh Khan.
According to Kapoor, the sequence involved a three-page monologue filmed beside a lake. Despite rain beginning midway through the take, she continued performing until the scene was completed.
“I had this lake scene, and it was a three-page-long monologue. There was pin-drop silence, and Shah Rukh Khan was also in the mood,” she said.
“There was one raindrop, then two. I am getting goosebumps thinking about it, but that did not stop me. I was on page three and did not stop even when it suddenly started pouring rain. I completed the scene.”
Kapoor said the cast and crew were stunned by the uninterrupted take. Although an additional take was recorded as a precaution, the original version was ultimately used in the final film.
Turning to her latest project, Kapoor compared her earlier roles with her character in Brown, in which she plays a troubled detective.
“I heard the script and thought this role was different from anything any actress has done so far. It was so raw, so open, so beaten down and worn out. That was a challenge, and I found it extremely intriguing,” she said.
Released on June 5, Brown follows Rita Brown, a disgraced former police officer struggling with alcoholism and grief following the loss of her junior partner, as she joins forces with others to hunt a serial killer.